08.24.08
6 Hours in the TJ Valley
I spent most of the morning and early afternoon throughout the Tijuana River Valley area in southwest San Diego County. Armed with my Canon 20d with a 500mm f/4 and my Digital Rebel with a 17-85mm f/4-5.6, I was ready for whatever I could find. Most of the marine layer had burned off by the time I arrived and the sun was shining, warming up the day into the low 80s. The wind presented the major challenge of the day as it was strong in some places and non-existent in others. Dairy Mart Pond, the Bird & Butterfly Garden and Border Field State Park offered most of the day’s rewards.
I watched as both a male and female Northern Harrier hunted across the open scrubland in Border Field State Park, an awe-inspiring sight. But the most fascinating event of the day was watching two Thread-waisted Wasps taking turns going down into a small hole and bringing out what appeared to be dirt.
On the way home I made a quick stop at Kumeyaay Dam in Mission Trails Regional Park and was treated to a few lovely dragonflies.
Surprisingly, no reptiles came out, but plenty of other animals made appearances. Here’s a list of wildlife I captured on camera today. Click here to see photos.
Birds
Northern Harrier
White-tailed Kite
Cooper’s Hawk
American Kestrel
Common Ground-Dove
Selasphorus Hummingbird
Black Phoebe
California Towhee
Butterflies
Western Tiger Swallowtail
West Coast Lady
Monarch
Lorquin’s Admiral
Marine Blue
Dragonflies
Red Saddlebags
Flame Skimmer
Blue Dasher
Black Saddlebags
Interesting Insect of Note
Thread-waisted Wasp
